How to make a Picture Perfect Bread Gift

I LOVE baking and I’ve recently discovered the joys of giving baked goods as a gift. These edible presents are in a special category of do-it-yourself offerings because they’re not only easy (and they make your house smell great while they’re cooking), but they’re delicious, too!

One of the most fun ways to take these gifts to the next level is by combining the baked good with a framed copy of the recipe and wrapping the whole thing up with a beautiful bow. That’s exactly what I did with today’s Crafty Christmas Gift, and here’s how you can do it, too.

Most of the supplies needed for this craft are needed to make the pumpkin bread (see recipe at the bottom of this entry). For the rest, you’ll need an 8×10 inch frame and three or four feet of ribbon.

Once the pumpkin bread is in the oven, you’ll have about an hour to get the rest of the craft completed, which is plenty of time, considering all you need to do is print out the recipe and place it in the frame.

Feel free to download a 5×7 inch version of the recipe (to fit a matted 8×10 inch frame) here: Picture Perfect Recipe.

You can get the frame for $1.00 at the Dollar store, or at a thrift store for right around that.

Look what just finished baking in the oven! Like many baked goods, you’ll have to use a butter knife or toothpick to test the “doneness” of the pumpkin bread after the initial 60 minutes is up. This one need another 10 minutes before it was finally ready, but good things are worth waiting for, right?

Once the bread has cooled and is wrapped in plastic wrap, it’s ready to be tied up with a ribbon and given away as a delicious gift!

Here is the Pumpkin Bread recipe that was used:

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Pumpkin Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 15 ounce can of pumpkin pie puree
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup butter (melted and cooled)
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 ½ cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp pumpkin spice
• ¼ tsp ginger

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9×5 inch bread pan with a little vegetable oil. Mix pumpkin pie puree, eggs, oil, butter, water, white sugar and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, and ginger. Stir dry ingredients into pumpkin mix until well blended. Pour into pan. Bake for about 60 minutes. Serve warm, topped with butter!

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I also have a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe that I plan on making for a few of my Gluten-Free friends too!